This invention relates generally to a light box for viewing transparencies and the like and, more particularly, to a supporting frame assembly for mounting a pair of transparency viewers in suitable position.
Illuminated transparency viewers, or light boxes, commonly have a light source for providing a strong uniform light on a translucent surface to enable negatives, transparencies, slide and the like to be conveniently examined. Typically, such viewers are employed for editing or sorting and sequencing of such transparencies and slides.
In the prior art, it has been known to utilize two or more such viewers to provide a greater viewing area. Oftentimes, one illuminated viewer is mounted so as to position the translucent surface in a nearly horizontal plane, while another illuminated viewer is mounted so as to position its translucent surface in a nearly vertical plane. Such a configuration permits a user to be seated with the first illuminated viewer acting as a tabletop and permits the user to view both translucent surfaces and have convenient access to materials placed on or supported by either of the illuminated viewers.
When a pair of illuminated viewers have been used in combination in the aforementioned manner, the viewers have been mounted in a specially constructed and configured table such that the viewers cannot be conveniently utilized separately. Such illuminated viewers did not always include an integral leg assembly to permit a single viewer to be adapted for use on a conventional table and yet provide a means for adjusting the orientation of the translucent surface relative to the table.
Some light boxes have been designed to be used as single units and have provided leg supports which permitted slight adjustments to the orientation of the translucent surface relative to the supporting surface. However, when two such light boxes were employed in combination to provide horizontal and vertical translucent viewing surfaces, open U-shaped brackets were employed and anchored to the housing of each illuminated viewer. The supporting leg assemblies were either removed and/or replaced by the brackets which were secured in the same manner as the legs had been. Sometimes, the leg assemblies were left in place and the brackets were secured to the viewer housing. This latter method required that the illuminated viewer housing be constructed to provide means for permitting both the leg assemblies and the brackets to be secured thereto.